There’s more than music going on at the ECMAs this weekend.
Mental health issues for musicians have come to the fore over the past number of years.
The East Coast Music Association has partnered with Membertou First Nation and Debut Atlantic to commission a study on mental health issues that affect musicians.
ECMA Executive Director Andy McLean has seen the struggles first-hand.
“Being a musician is pretty tough, there’s a lot of difficult conditions you have to deal with, particularly touring, but also the precariousness of the profession as well.”
But McLean says it’s good to see people’s attitude towards getting help has changed.
“People are talking about it a lot more openly now. We do feel ECMA can take some leadership and advocacy in this area and just get the information necessary to know how best to design something that can really address the needs of the music community.”
A focus group is underway as part of this weekend’s festival in Saint John.
McLean hopes to highlight the challenges musicians face and produce recommendations on how to address them.
